Covid-19 Pandemic and Future of Democratic Governance: Policy Responses and Way Forward

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world not only socially but economically and politically. It has challenged the capacity of the high income economies of the world, the preparedness of public health management and the capacity for outbreak response. The conceptualization of the study is closely aligned with the concept of the capacity of the state. That is how effectively the state is making policies to secure public health and physical infrastructure because the pandemic has also witnessed coercive policy responses from the public. The state's policy measures like forced lockdowns, market shutdowns, isolation strategies, travel bans and wearing masks are not welcomed throughout the world. These strategies are considered as the change of democratic values of freedom of expression, free movement and a right to live independently. Amid the pandemic where nobody can predict a logical conclusion, this study aimed to unravel some fundamental questions. First, whether democracies failed to effectively manage the pandemic because some authoritarian systems won praise for their effective response. Secondly, why some democracies have successfully managed it and whether the regime types matter in dealing with the pandemic. A qualitative method has been applied to build the argument and a comparative approach has enabled the researcher to suggest a way out for the future.